Pregnant women may get safer HIV protection with tailored PrEP doses
NCT ID NCT06435026
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested three different daily doses of the HIV prevention pill PrEP in 54 pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa. The goal was to find the dose that gives the best protection without harming the mother or baby. Researchers measured drug levels in the blood and tracked any side effects. The results will help guide safer HIV prevention during pregnancy.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (FTC/TDF) - a daily pill to prevent HIV
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to better HIV prevention guidelines for pregnant women, reducing mother-to-child transmission.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (54 participants) focused on drug levels and safety, not on actual HIV prevention. Higher doses may cause more side effects.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
54 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Jun 2024
- Finished
-
Feb 2026
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
16 years and older
- Sex
-
Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: Maternal participants: * Aged 16 years or older * PrEP-eligible by local guidelines * Pregnant with a viable singleton pregnancy of between 14 and 23 completed weeks of gestation (from 14 weeks + 0 days to 23 weeks + 6 days) by ultrasonography at study entry * HIV-negative based on the study-specific screening algorithm * Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative * Weight \>35 kg * Provided informed consent and expressed willingness to participate in study activities with their infants, including daily administration of oral PrEP under direct observation Infant participants: Infant participants enter the study with their mother as unborn infants. There are no specific eligibility criteria for infant participation otherwise. If an infant is deemed too ill to undergo study procedures, procedures necessary for clinical management may be prioritized. Exclusion Criteria: Maternal participants will not enter the study if any of the following conditions are identified during the screening process: * Grade 2 or greater laboratory parameters for alanine transaminase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST), hemoglobin (HB), and absolute neutrophil count (ANC). * Estimated creatinine clearance (CrCl) 90 mL/min or below, using the Cockcroft-Gault formula. * Known history or evidence of current significant disease process, including: hematological conditions, renal disease, unexplained bone fractures, environmental enteric dysfunction, or allergies/sensitivities to FTC/TDF. * Other current significant or uncontrolled disease process (active or chronic), substance use, or social circumstances that, in the judgment of the site investigator, would make participation in the study inappropriate or unsafe. * Fetuses with known or suspected major fetal anomaly, either from screening ultrasound or via medical record * Intention to leave the study site's catchment area before scheduled study exit. * Current use of prohibited medications * Concurrent use of other biomedical HIV prevention interventions (vaginal ring, injectable PrEP, any investigational prevention product).
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Bwaila District Hospital
Lilongwe, Malawi
-
Seke North CRS
Harare, Zimbabwe
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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